September 2, 2021
Maya Lin, Ghost Forest, 2021. Courtesy PACE GALLERY
Maya Lin just planted 49 dying cedar trees in Midtown Manhattan’s Madison Square Park to created a haunting ‘Ghost Forest’ that brings the reality of climate change to our own back yard. The artwork in on view through November 14, 2021.
“Ghost Forest” is named for the real phenomenon of dead and dying forests that results from climate change events – often from beetle infestations due to warmer temperatures or saltwater inundation from rising sea levels.
These 49 Atlantic white cedars are from the Pine Barrens in
New Jersey, which is suffering from environmental problems caused by climate
change. Victims of saltwater infiltration, the trees were salted for removal in
an effort to regenerated and replant the area. Foresters were working with the
local landowner to clear this dying grove as part of a forestry practice that
will allow for the regeneration of the trees, since cedars need open light to
repopulate. The artist is “borrowing” these trees for six months installation.
Ghost Forest is set against living trees and buildings. Photo by Maya Lin Studio
The installation will run for six months, during which time
the park will visibly change with the seasons, while the dead cedars will turn
even more spectral as they decay. One of the oddest experiences when visiting “Ghost
Forest” is the clash of buzzing life and laughter that weaves between the solemn
trees. Lin incorporated lush green grass between the trees to invite visitors
to sit and stay. The leafless trees are also meant to contrast with the
ever-changing thriving trees in the rest of the park, Lin said, “I wanted Ghost
Forest’s skeletal forms will invite passerby to confront the reality of the
strain put on ecosystems by climate change.”
Lin and the Conservancy are also holding a programme of public events with a focus on
nature-based solutions to climate change including lectures by leading
specialists in the field. If you’re in New York, I would like you to visit ‘Ghost
Forest' and have various experiences.
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